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Analytical Software ToolsThe following analytical software tools are intended to help choose conservation measures that are most cost effective and environmentally friendly. Used at the facility evaluation and assessment stage of energy project development, the tools compare potential energy conservation measures by performing complex energy consumption analyses and modeling, as well as comparative life-cycle costing analyses. How to handle self-extracting archives on this site BLCC Programs. The Building Life-Cycle Cost (BLCC) programs analyze capital investments in buildings. EnergyPlus. The EnergyPlus Simulation Program Helps Building Designers and Owners Save Money, Reduce Energy and Improve Indoor Air Quality FEDS 4.0 and 4.1. The Facility Energy Decision System provides a comprehensive integrated resource planning approach to selecting technologies with a minimum life-cycle cost. FLEX. The Federal Lighting Energy Expert analyzes single room to multibuilding lighting projects. FRESA 2.5.5. The Federal Renewable Energy Screening Assistant evaluates renewable energy options. WATERGY 3.0. Download this updated version of WATERGY. Changes include bug fixes and worksheets that are easier to read and print out. Other Software. Software for evaluating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability is available from other sources. Building Life-Cycle Cost (BLCC) ProgramsBuilding Life-Cycle Cost programs BLCC5 and BLCC4 are the main programs in a set of six National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) computer programs providing computational support for the analysis of capital investments in buildings. QuickBLCC 2.8-01 can be used with BLCC4.9-01; DISCOUNT 3.9-01, EMISS 1.0, and ERATES 1.11 are stand-alone programs that enhance life-cycle cost analysis. Energy Price Indices and Discount Factors is an accompanying publication containing tables of factors calculated with the same discount rates and energy price projections as used in the programs. BLCC 5.0-01 For users who already have BLCC 5.0 installed: · Download and unzip update.zip · In the directory where BLCC 5.0 is installed, replace blcc5.jar · For new example files, replace example 1.xml and example 2.xml in the projects subdirectory BLCC 5.0 is a windowed version of BLCC4 with online help, programmed in Java with an XML file format. It maintains the basic approach to computer-supported life-cycle cost analysis that was developed for BLCC4 and which has been widely accepted by government and private-sector analysts. Version 5.0 contains modules for analyzing energy and water conservation and renewable energy projects subject to 10 CFR 436A, either funded from direct appropriations or financed through Energy Savings Performance Contracts or utility contracts as directed in Executive Order 13123. The remaining modules now in BLCC4 will be programmed into BLCC5 in the next few years. The BLCC computer programs conduct economic analyses by evaluating the relative cost effectiveness of alternative buildings and building-related systems or components. Typically, BLCC is used to evaluate alternative designs that have higher initial costs but lower operating-related costs over the project life than the lowest-initial-cost design. The BLCC software is especially useful for evaluating the costs and benefits of energy and water conservation and renewable energy projects. The life-cycle cost (LCC) of two or more alternative designs are computed and compared to determine which has the lowest LCC and is therefore more economical in the long run. BLCC can be used for evaluating alternative designs in both new and existing buildings. BLCC also calculates comparative economic measures for the alternative designs, including Net Savings, Savings-to-Investment Ratio, Adjusted Internal Rate of Return, and Years to Payback. BLCC can evaluate federal, state, and local government projects as well as non-profit and for-profit projects in the private sector. While BLCC is oriented toward building-related decisions, it can be used to evaluate alternative designs for almost any project type in which higher capital investment costs result in lower future operating-related costs.
BLCC4 is the DOS-based version of BLCC. It includes QuickBLCC for evaluating projects with multiple alternatives requiring relatively simple data inputs. BLCC4 contains designated modules for analyzing energy and water conservation projects subject to 10 CFR 436A; MILCON projects; OMB projects subject to Circular A-94; and private-sector projects including tax and financing analyses.
QuickBLCC is used in conjunction with BLCC4. It provides a convenient method of evaluating multiple alternatives in one file. With BLCC4, the user must set up a different file for each alternative; in QuickBLCC, the user inputs "header" information common to all alternatives and relatively simple line-item entries for each alternative. The requirements for this multiple analysis are (1) that all of the alternatives must be evaluated in the same LCC context (i.e., using the same study period, service date, and discount rate); and (2) projects must be (approximately) functionally independent. This latter requirement means that none of the alternatives significantly affect the energy savings or the LCC of any of the other alternatives included in the same QuickBLCC project file. After the input file is saved, the LCC for each alternative in the file can be calculated with a single key stroke, thus identifying the alternative with the lowest LCC. This information can be reported along with the Net Savings, Savings-to-Investment Ratio, and Adjusted Internal Rate of Return for the lowest-LCC alternative. QuickBLCC can generate input files for BLCC4 if a more detailed analysis is required.
The DISCOUNT program computes discount factors and related present values, future values, and periodic payment values of cash flows occurring at specific points. DISCOUNT is especially useful for solving life-cycle cost analysis problems that do not require the comprehensive summation and reporting capabilities provided by the BLCC programs. DISCOUNT performs all of the functions of standard discounting tables, computing present values of future amounts, future values of present amounts, present and future values of periodic payments, periodic payments corresponding to present and future amounts, and corresponding discount factors. In addition, DISCOUNT computes the present value of periodic payments that increase at rates projected by the U.S. Department of Energy for use in federal life-cycle cost analysis. DISCOUNT provides the added flexibility of accepting non-integer discount rates, time periods, and escalation rates in its computations.
EMISS is a special-purpose computer program for use in generating data files that can be imported into BLCC4. EMISS output files contain location-specific emission factors for CO2, SO2, and NOx related to energy usage in buildings. The emission factors are generated for electricity, distillate and residual fuel oils, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and coal. The resulting data can be accessed by BLCC4 to calculate reductions in air pollution emissions attributable to energy conservation investments in buildings and building systems. BLCC4 does not place an explicit dollar value on these reduced emissions, but the additional information on the emission reductions themselves may prove useful to decision makers in selecting among alternative building systems. The default values in EMISS are based on U.S. average data. The user can substitute location-specific fuel characteristics and end-use data needed to generate emission factors representative of a particular region or location. (This feature has been incorporated into the BLCC 5.0 version; other features of EMISS will be programmed into future versions of BLCC5). The EMISS user can also enter and edit emission factor files directly if appropriate emission factors are available. Emission factor files can be generated at the national, regional, state, or local level, as appropriate to the analysis. These emission factor files are saved to disk, usually to the subdirectory where the BLCC4 program is located. The files can generally be used over a long period of time without change as long as the underlying emission factors do not change. The default emission factors for electricity are based on the average mix of fossil-fired generation facilities (coal, oil, and natural gas) in the region or state indicated. Emissions from fossil-fired generation facilities are used instead of averages for all generation facilities. This type of emission is used because conservation measures will more likely result in reductions in electrical generation from fossil-fired generation facilities, which have higher variable generation costs, than from nuclear and hydroelectric facilities, which have lower variable generation costs. SO2 factors for electricity generation require a table of yearly scalars that represent the anticipated reductions in SO2 emissions (per kWh of output) as a result of increasing environmental controls on electricity generation over time.
ERATES (Electricity Rates) is used to calculate the monthly and annual electricity costs for a facility, building, or system under a wide range of electric utility rate schedules. Both kilowatt-hours (kWh) usage and maximum kW demand during on-peak periods can be included in these costs. Most typically, these calculations will be used to support engineering-economic studies that assess the cost-effectiveness of energy conservation measures or measures to shift electricity use from on-peak to off-peak time periods. ERATES is intended to provide more accurate estimates of annual electricity costs (or savings) for specific design and operating conditions than can be calculated using average unit rates (e.g., $0.07/kWh) and annual kWh usage data. With ERATES, users can set up time-of-use rate schedules, block-rate schedules, and demand-rate schedules for a specific geographic location and customer class. ERATES can use these rate schedules to compute annual electricity costs, given hourly or monthly kWh usage, and kW demand data for a specific end use. Users can set up experimental rate schedules to estimate their impact on electricity costs under varying usage and demand patterns. Block-rate and demand-rate schedules created with ERATES can also be imported by BLCC4. Because utility rate schedules&emdash;especially kW demand schedules&emdash;can be quite complex, ERATES provides a means of simulating these schedules in computing monthly and annual electricity costs for a specific activity, given appropriate energy usage and demand data. ERATES cannot incorporate all of the potential complexities of utility rate schedules and is not intended for use by utilities in setting up or administering such schedules.
The annually updated discount factors used in life-cycle cost analysis (and embedded in the software) are also available as printed tables in Energy Price Indices and Discount Factors for Life-Cycle Cost Analysis. EnergyPlusEnergyPlus Version 1.0 EnergyPlus is available free from the Department of Energy's Office of Building, Technology, State and Community Programs. EnergyPlus is a new generation building energy simulation program designed for modeling buildings with associated heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating, and other energy flows. EnergyPlus builds on the most popular features and capabilities of BLAST and DOE-2 but includes many innovative simulation capabilities including time steps of less than an hour and modular systems simulation modules that are integrated with a heat balance-based zone simulation. Other planned simulation capabilities include solar thermal, multizone air flow, and electric power simulation including photovoltaic systems and fuel cells. Highlights of using EnergyPlus version 1.0 include
Read more about EnergyPlus on the Building, Technology, State and Community Programs Web site. FEDS 4.0 and 4.1*The Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) 4.0 is available in compact disk and contains several new features. The upgrade, FEDS 4.1, is available to those who already have FEDS 4.0 installed. FEDS 4.1 can be downloaded from the FEDS Web site. FEDS features include the following:
FEDS provides a comprehensive fuel-neutral, technology-independent, integrated (energy) resource planning approach from the top down. The basic intent of the model is to provide information needed to determine the minimum life-cycle cost (LCC) configuration of the installation's energy generation and consumption infrastructure. The model has no fuel or technology bias; it simply selects the technologies that will provide an equivalent or superior level of service (e.g., heating, cooling, illumination) at the minimum LCC. When determining the minimum LCC configuration of generation and end-use technologies, all interactive effects between energy systems are explicitly modeled. For example, when considering a lighting retrofit, the model evaluates the change in energy consumption in all building energy systems rather than just the change in lighting energy. The value or cost of these interactive effects varies by building type (level of internal gain), building size (portion of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning loads attributable to internal gains versus envelope gains/losses), climate (whether a particular building is cooling- or heating- dominated), occupancy schedule, and other factors. In determining the optimal retrofit for each technology, the interactions at the installation level are considered by determining the impact on the installation's electric energy and demand cost, as well as the interactive effects among end uses. Peak electric demand in any individual building may not occur at the same time as the installation's peak demand. Because the buildings at large Federal installations are not individually metered, the installation is billed based on the combined demand of all buildings. Thus, proper valuation of the changes in an individual building's electric demand must be done in the context of the impact on the installation's demand profile, including time-of-day pricing and demand ratchets. *Available to Federal personnel only. Call 800-DOE-EREC (800-363-3732) or place your order online for FEDS 4.0. Users who already have 4.0 installed can upgrade to 4.1 by downloading it from the FEDS Web site. FLEXThe Federal Lighting Expert (FLEX) software is available free from Fishbaugher & Associates. FLEX uses a complete lighting characterization tool to survey buildings. This tool can be applied to anything from a single room to multibuilding complexes. The most typical use is for single buildings. FLEX's "expert" system assists users in analyzing relighting projects. First, FLEX contains a screening expert to make sure users have not forgotten important inputs. Second, FLEX will optionally generate and analyze relighting cases. A feature called Quick Inputs automates much of the lighting characterization process. FLEX uses lighting equipment databases to simplify the survey process. Users select the appropriate fixture, lamp, or other item from the lists provided. FLEX organizes the survey data into a relational database structure. Lighting equipment price and performance information can be directly entered into these databases. New records are appended to the end of the existing price and performance databases. Users can directly edit the defaults used by FLEX/Quick Inputs when it constructs new input files. FLEX permits users to examine results for an individual room, a lighting system, or a whole-building. Special reports let users compare projects or examine lighting levels and targets in buildings. FLEX also performs complete Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) zonal cavity lighting calculations for each defined room. A building-level report shows how calculations compare to light-meter readings and IES recommendations. Partition factors are included in the light-loss calculations. FLEX contains the complete set of required life-cycle cost economics for Federal relighting projects. This includes effects of user-entered local equipment prices, Energy Information Administration energy escalation rates, HVAC system effects, and a host of other adjustable factors. An additional feature is the Photo Gallery&endash;a library of images and case studies that cover different subjects in lighting quality. FRESAFRESA 2.5.5 Software (self-extracting executable for
PCs only) The Federal Renewable Energy Screening Assistant (FRESA) Version 2.5 allows energy auditors in the DOE SAVEnergy Program to quickly evaluate renewable energy opportunities and energy systems options for possible inclusion in a facility's energy program. The program is a supplement to the energy and water conservation audits that will be completed for all Federal buildings and will flag renewable energy opportunities by facilitating the evaluation and ranking process. FRESA processes building and facility data to indicate opportunities for renewable energy applications in Federal facilities and buildings. The purpose is to focus feasibility study efforts on those applications most likely to prove cost effective. FRESA provides uniform assumptions in the form of database weather and technology/energy cost parameters. FRESA generates reports consistent with the DOE/FEMP SAVEnergy Audit format. This version of FRESA can screen facilities for the following renewable energy systems: |
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NEW!!! FRESA User List
Important Notice to Users WATERGYWATERGY version 3.0 (Excel files in self-extracting
archive for PCs only) WATERGY is a spreadsheet model that uses water/energy relationship assumptions to analyze the potential of water savings and associated energy savings. The spreadsheet allows input of utility data (energy and water cost and consumption data for the most recent twelve months) and facility data (number and kind of water consuming/moving devices and their water consumption and/or flow rates). It then estimates direct water, direct energy, and indirect energy annual savings, as well as total cost and payback times for a number of conservation methods. Most of the assumptions that WATERGY uses for energy/water calculations can be grouped into the following categories: the heating values of fuels (e.g., the heating value of natural gas in Btu/cf); the efficiencies of energy and water consuming devices or processes (e.g., number of kilowatt hours consumed per gallon for electric hot water heaters, or number of kilowatt hours consumed per 1000 gallons of treated waste water); time-of-use for fixtures (e.g., number of minutes per use of infra-red sensor faucets); and percentage of hot water use in machines or fixtures (e.g., percentage of water usage that is hot water for a typical faucet). WATERGY also makes simple assumptions about capital and labor costs of equipment and fixture replacements. All assumptions WATERGY uses can be modified by the user. At this time, WATERGY estimates potential conservation opportunities for the following methods: Installation of 1.6 gal/flush toilets and water conserving urinals Other SoftwareInformation on more than 190 software tools is available from DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (BTS). Some of the software is free and downloadable. BTS sponsors new software development as well. Please send comments to FEMP Webmaster |
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